He might have looked a bit hapless on court in Saturday’s Doha final, walloped 6-1, 6-2 by an imperious Novak Djokovic, but Rafael Nadal did manage to stir things up post-match.
“I played against a player who did everything perfect,” Nadal said. “I know nobody playing tennis like this ever. Since I know this sport, I never saw somebody playing at this level.”
Now, Djokovic deserves every praise that comes his way, but when you use the word “ever”, it tends to open a can of worms. In tennis parlance, it reignites a usually bitter and acrimonious debate over the Greatest Of All Time, let’s refer to it as Goat for short.
The fans of Roger Federer, considered one of the greatest to ever play the game, alongside, of course, Nadal and Djokovic, will probably take the Spaniard’s words as a slight. They will point to his 237 consecutive weeks (302 in total) at No 1 in the rankings and his impressive grand slam record: between the 2005 Wimbledon and 2010 Australian Open, Federer reached the final at each of the 19 grand slams save one, the 2008 Australian Open, when he lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Djokovic’s best figures are his current streaks: 80 consecutive weeks at No 1 and six finals reached in the last seven majors.
Also from Ahmed Rizvi: Injuries to Sharapova, Serena et al make tennis suffer
Andy Murray: Novak Djokovic 'drop-off' my best chance of Australian Open title
But given his domination of the Swiss, a lopsided 23-11 head-to-head, including 9-2 in grand slams, it should not be a surprise that Nadal picks Djokovic, a man who has won nine of their last 10 duels, eight of them in straight sets, including the 2015 French Open quarter-final, for such high praise. He is not alone.
Nick Bollettieri, the famed tennis coach, is among many others who share a similar view. According to him, Djokovic is “the best put-together player” he has seen over 60 years, with no “weakness” or “downfall”.
It would be hard to argue against such assessments, especially after the year Djokovic has just had. He finished 2015 with an 82-6 win-loss record and 11 titles, including three grand slams, six Masters and the year-end championship.
A ranking of the best seasons in men’s tennis history, known as the Goatometer puts Djokovic’s 2015 (41 points) as the best year for any player in the Open era, just ahead of Federer’s 2006 (40 points), and Rod Laver’s 1969 (39 points).
Federer, however, is still way ahead of Djokovic in the Goatometer’s list of the top 100 Goat, a ranking that rewards consistency at the grand slams and the weeks spent at No 1.
He is at the top of the list with 292 points, ahead of Jimmy Connors (252) and Ivan Lendl (247). Nadal is at No 5, on 209 points, while Djokovic is at No 7 on 205 points, just behind 14-time grand slam champion Pete Sampras (207 points).
Comment: If Novak Djokovic should stumble, Roger Federer will be waiting to pounce
So there is still a long way to go for Djokovic before he comes anywhere near Federer on that list. But then, he has time on his side. The Serb is supremely fit, probably the greatest athlete the sport has ever seen and, as Nadal’s Doha shellacking clearly suggests, he is playing at an otherworldly level.
Djokovic’s closest rival on the court, at least on the basis of 2015, is Federer, 34, and no one from the rest of “Generation Next” seems capable of challenging him. His domination is set to continue.
"He's in his prime and I think that he can stay at the top of the game for another five or six years," Tim Henman, the former British No 1, told the Belfast Telegraph last summer. "If you think of those opportunities in the grand slams, if it's five years, it's 20."
Over the past five years, Djokovic has won nine grand slam titles and lost six finals. So, mathematically, and barring a catastrophic injury, Federer’s all-time tally of 17 looks under threat if Djokovic can maintain his stratospheric levels.
He needs eight more to overhaul Federer’s mark, but consider this: Boris Becker, Djokovic’s coach, has six grand slam titles on his CV. Connors, Lendl and Agassi have eight, while John McEnroe finished with seven. So while 17 might seem within reach, it is definitely not as simple as some may think.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”